Professionals

Involvement with VisitAbility/Universal Design:Glen is a landscape architect and principal with HTFC Planning & Design, keenly interested in the quality of accessible public spaces. He has provided universal design services and advice on a number of major public works in Winnipeg, including the Disraeli Freeway rehabilitation, the Manitoba Hydro Building, and Osborne Bridge, receiving Accessibility Awards from the City of Winnipeg for the Provencher paired bridges project and Steinkopf Gardens rehabilitation. Glen was the lead author of Manitoba Housing Renewal Corporation’s VisitAble housing policy manual, and led the Province’s VisitAble Housing Consultant team between 2006 and 2008. Following this he joined CCDS’s Think Tank on VisitAbility and remained an active member of CCDS’s VisitAble Housing Working Group until the project wrapped up in 2010.

Involvement in VisitAbility/Universal Design:In 2007, Silver and his colleagues published a report, “VisitAble Housing, Cost Estimate summary.” The report is based on a case study which examined costs involved in building two single-family detached houses in Winnipeg. The summary indicated that interior costs are negligible if planned at the outset. Most of the identified additional costs related to creating the accessible route to the door and the no step entry. In the design case studies, these modifications added value through creating more amenity space and more interest in the landscape. He said that VisitAble homes built in isolation without any pre-planning are the most expensive option. The strategy of pairing VisitAble homes to avoid retaining walls along the side yards should be considered if VisitAble homes are to be incorporated into a development.

Total integration is implemented by the “hands on” approach of Mr. Silver, who completely involves himself in all stages of the projects from the beginning to the end of the project.

Involvement in VisitAbility/Universal Design:Dwayne Rewniak has over fifteen years experience in the housing sector at both the provincial and federal levels, and is currently Manitoba Housing’s Director of Land Development. His responsibilities include directing Manitoba Housing’s 1,753 acre land holdings portfolio, overseeing the development of Manitoba Housing’s Bridgwater Neighbourhood in south west Winnipeg, and ensuring that all land development projects are consistent with the housing development priorities of the province. Dwayne has been involved with VisitAble housing from both a policy and project development perspective, and is currently assisting Manitoba Housing’s efforts to develop half of the 1,190 single-family lots in the Bridgwater Lakes neighbourhood as VisitAble homes; making Bridgwater one of Canada’s first new developments to require such a high percentage of VisitAble housing. Dwayne is a full member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and Manitoba Professional Planners Institute.

Organizations & Programs

Ten Ten Sinclair Housing Inc.Ten Ten Sinclair Housing promotes affordable, accessible housing and support services for broad public, including people with physical disabilities. The organization has been a leading contributor to accessible and VisitAble housing in Manitoba.

Policies and Legislation

Name of Policy/Legislation: Winnipeg VisitAble Housing Guidelines Adopted: 2006 Purpose/Goal/Requirements: The goal of these guidelines are to advance the implementation of VisitAble housing in Manitoba. These guidelines are complemented by draft policy recommendations, design guidelines, educational materials, and implementation strategies tailored to suit the Manitoba marketplace.Mandatory or Voluntary: Voluntary

Name of Policy/Legislation: Accessible and Visitable Housing Guidelines for Residential UnitsAdopted: 2006Source:http://www.gov.mb.ca/housing/mh/progs/pdf/visitable-housing-visitable-housing-community-building.pdfPurpose/Goal/Requirements: Manitoba Housing has developed Accessibility and Visitable Housing Guidelines for Residential Units. Visitability is being applied to construction of all new units which receive financial assistance from Manitoba Housing, with 10 per cent of all such new units designed to meet Manitoba Housing accessible design criteria. Where possible visitability is used in the renovation of current social housing units. Manitoba Housing also encourages the use of the guidelines in the private market by making it available to community stakeholders.Mandatory or Voluntary: Guidelines are voluntary, but mandatory for 10 per cent of all new residential units which receive financial assistance from Manitoba Housing

Publications and Resources

Bridgwater Policy Presentation
Author: Dwayne Rewniak, Manitoba HousingSource: http://visitablehousingcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Manitoba-VisitAble-Housing-Policy.pdfDescription: The Bridgwater project is a housing development project in Waverley West in Winnipeg. Over half of the homes in the neighborhood will be VisitAble. The provincial government (i.e., Manitoba Housing) developed policies for builders to follow to build VisitAble homes in the neighborhood. This presentation describes the VisitAbility-related policies introduced by Manitoba Housing.

Planning Document for the Waverley West Development
Author: Manitoba HousingSource: http://visitablehousingcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Waverley-West-Area-Strucutre-Plan.pdfDescription: The Bridgwater project is a housing development project in Waverley West in Winnipeg. Over half of the homes in the neighborhood will be VisitAble. This document is the development plan for the project.

Building a VisitAble Home in Winnipeg: A fact sheet from the City of Winnipeg
Author: Manitoba HousingSource: http://visitablehousingcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/visitablehome.pdfDescription: This factsheet is developed by Manitoba Housing, Manitoba provincial housing agency, to inform the public and housing professionals of the concept of VisitAble Housing.

Developing a visitability housing policy for the Province of Manitoba
Author: Joel Ransom CasselmanSource: Master’s Thesis, http://hdl.handle.net/1993/22946Description: This Master’s thesis reports on a study that explored the characteristics of visitability ordinances in jurisdictions where visitability had been adopted as policy. It also examined how people with disabilities access the homes of their non-disabled peers. A major goal of the research was to determine how a visitability ordinance could be designed and implemented in the Province of Manitoba.